A New Life
by kash30032000
Summary: After being thrown out of the Dursleys' house, Harry meets a young woman who is training to become an Auror. She takes him in and adopts him as her son. He now attends a Muggle school full of danger, where he solves mysteries with the help of his dog.
1. Chapter 1

This story starts on a dark and stormy night. A thirteen-year-old boy was lying on a park bench shivering from the cold. His stomach was growling having not eaten anything for the past few hours. He tried to get some sleep, but he couldn't stop thinking about what had happened earlier that day.

It all started that morning after breakfast. Harry's Uncle Vernon had gone out to fetch his sister from the train station. Uncle Vernon had promised to fill out the permission slip to allow Harry to visit Hogsmeade, the all wizarding village, if Harry had behaved while his sister was visiting.

Harry really wanted to visit the village with his friends so immediately after his uncle left, he went upstairs to his bedroom and put away all of the things that made him 'different'.

Hedwig, his faithful owl, was the only thing from the wizarding world that was visible. He decided to keep the owl with him because he would need someone to talk to when he was in his room alone.

He grabbed a couple of owl treats from his table and crossed over to the cage sitting by the window. The owl was sleeping inside and woke up when Harry had poked a few treats through the bars.

"Sorry, girl," he said. "But you'll have to stay in your cage. At least until Aunt Marge goes home."

He reached through the bars to stroke Hedwig's feather. The door bell rang announcing his Aunt's arrival.

"HARRY!" his Aunt Petunia called. "GET THE DOOR!"

Harry left the room closing the door behind him. He went down the stairs and opened the front door revealing a soak and wet Marge and Vernon. Marge forced her way into the house pushing her wet umbrella into Harry's arms. Vernon walked through the door next, stumbling with his sister's luggage. He crossed the threshold and set them down on the floor.

Harry shook the umbrella sending water all over the place. He then put it in the umbrella stand and closed the door.

"Take Marge's luggage upstairs." hissed Uncle Vernon.

Harry did as he was told. He picked up two suitcases in his right hand and put the other one in his left hand. He carefully made his way upstairs occasionally losing his balance.

He made it to the guestroom and pushed the door open with his foot. He went over to the bed and sat the luggage down on the floor. He then withdrew from the room and headed straight to his bedroom. Having no contact with Marge was the best way to keep out of trouble.

He closed his bedroom door and went to sit on the bed. He picked up a book he was reading the previous night and laid back. He would stay in his room and read for the three days that Marge was going to stay. He wouldn't speak to her and wouldn't acknowledge her.

Harry had read three chapters in his book when he looked up at the clock and saw that dinner was in five minutes. He knew that if he was late for dinner the Dursleys wouldn't let him eat. So he grabbed a box of Hedwig's food and poured it in a bowl in the cage. He checked and made sure she had fresh water before heading down to dinner himself.

"You're still here?" barked Marge when Harry entered the kitchen.

He ignored her and went over to the stove where he began to put the hot food in serving bowls. He was putting the pasta in a bowl when he noticed a bulldog growling at him.

"What can I get for Ripper?" Aunt Petunia asked Marge.

"Ripper has a bad cold," said Marge. "I'm only feeding him soup. Do you have any can soup?"

"Of course," said Petunia. "Harry, give Ripper a can of soup."

Harry set the food on the table and made his way to the cabinets. He opened it and began to search through them trying to remember the last time the Dursleys had kept can food. They usually bought everything fresh and only bought can food when it came to feeding Harry.

They stopped purchasing it when Harry simply stopped eating the cold food. He would rather starve, but the Dursleys didn't want to waste anymore money.

Harry located a can of alphabet soup that was in the back of the cabinet. He placed it on the counter and searched the drawers for the can opener.

"Hurry up, boy." barked Marge. "My Ripper is hungry and if he waits any longer I'm going to give him your portion of the meal."

Harry opened the can and grabbed a bowl. He poured the liquid into the bowl and went over to the microwave to heat the food. He knew that Ripper was spoiled rotten and would never eat cold soup.

Ripper growled angrily and began to pace around. Petunia was worried that the dog might attack, but Harry knew that if the dog were to strike it would have been him.

"Petunia," said Marge. "Give Ripper the boy's food. The boy can eat the soup."

Petunia grabbed a plate off the table and loaded it with pasta and chicken. She placed it in front of the dog and he began to eat with haste. Ripper looked at Harry and licked his lips, teasing him.

The microwave went off and Harry grabbed the hot bowl from the microwave. He grabbed a spoon and made his way out of the room. He wasn't going to watch as the Dursleys ate chicken and pasta while he ate a mere bowl of alphabet soup.

Harry returned to his room where Hedwig was waiting. She clicked her beak impatiently and nudged her food bowl. She was still hungry.

Harry sat down on the bed. He took a spoonful of soup and placed it in his mouth. The hot liquid burned his tongue and his eyes watered as he swallowed. The soup had no taste and it made Harry shiver.

He didn't want to eat it, but he couldn't just throw it away. He looked around and saw Hedwig still staring at him. He walked over to the cage, opened it, and placed the bowl inside.

Hedwig dipped her beak into the bowl and began to eat. She, at least, enjoyed the soup.

Harry went back over to the bed and went back to his reading. He had been reading for an hour when his door banged open and a drunk Aunt Marge entered the room.

"There you are." she said as she swayed where she stood. Harry could smell the alcohol from his bed. "I don't even know why you're here. You should have been placed in an orphanage. I've been saying it for twelve years."

Harry rolled his eyes and brought his attention back to his book. He knew where this conversation was going. Marge took no time in letting Harry know that she hated him. She had been trying to get Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon to put him in an orphanage for years.

"It's not too late." she continued. "A orphanage would still take you. We just won't mention how abnormal and troublesome you are."

Harry turned a page in his book tuning out his drunken aunt.

"Your parents were troublesome people as well."

"How would you know?" spat Harry forgetting that he was suppose to be ignoring her. "You've never met my parents."

"I didn't want to meet them. They were good for nothing people who took advantage of decent hard working people. They were terrible for getting themselves killed and putting such a burden on their family."

"You didn't know my parents." said Harry standing up and dropping the book. "You have no right to talk about them like that."

Marge swayed there staring at Harry with blood shot eyes. She made her way towards Harry as if she was going to hit him, but she slipped. She fell to the floor with a loud crash that shook the room.

She began to scream.

"VERNON! VERNON!" she screamed. "THE BOY ATTACKED ME!"

Harry froze. He couldn't believe that his aunt would lie on him. He didn't even put his hands on her though he would love to.

Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley came running into the room. Petunia went over to help Marge while Vernon rounded on Harry. He was red with rage and raised his fist as if he would beat him.

Petunia dragged Marge out of the room followed by Dudley. Uncle Vernon, however, remained in the room with Harry.

"How dare you attack my sister!?" said Uncle Vernon spit flying from his mouth.

"I didn't attack her. She tried to attack me and she fell." said Harry defending himself.

"Liar." hissed Uncle Vernon as he took a step closer to Harry, his fist still raised.

He knew that if he struck the boy the neighbors would find out and start to talk. Then again he could always keep the boy from talking to the neighbors. They never did find out that the boy was abnormal.

"I don't have to take this." said Harry backing away before his uncle could hit him. "I don't want to stay here. I'll be gone in ten minutes."

"You better make it five if you want to get out of here alive." threatened Vernon.

"Fine. I'll be gone in five."

Uncle Vernon left the room slamming the door behind him. Harry began to pack all of the things he had from the wizarding world. He would leave all of his Muggle things behind because he didn't want to be reminded of this godforsaken house.

He finished packing in three minutes and was at the front door with his trunk and Hedwig's cage. The Dursleys were in the kitchen drinking tea. He didn't want to be bothered with them so he left through the front door without a word to them.

It was a chilly and cloudy night but he wasn't going to let that stop him from leaving. He had taking twelve years of the Dursleys mistreating him and he wasn't going to stand for it any longer.

He pulled his trunk towards the park where he would stay the night then he would make his way to Diagon Alley where he would go to Gringotts, the wizarding bank, and take money out. He had enough money to rent him a loft until it was time for him to return to Hogwarts.

Harry woke up later on that night feeling extremely hungry and he was wet and cold. He had no food or money on him and his best bet was to eat out of the garbage, but he hoped that it would never come to that.

Harry got up from the bench and grabbed his trunk and Hedwig's cage. He decided he would go find a all night diner and explain his situation. If the owner was sympathetic he would give Harry a free plate.

He was walking down the block when he noticed three teenagers standing in the middle of the sidewalk rolling dice and holding money. Two were smoking and one was carrying a beer. They had numerous of tattoos and plenty of piercing.

Harry wanted to avoid them so he began to make his way across the street.

"Hey." said one of the teenagers.

Harry looked around and saw that two of them were boys and the other was a girl. One of the boys had called him and was gesturing for him to come over. Harry gulped and made his way over to the teens.

"Hello." he said trying not to sound nervous. He wasn't scared of them, but he didn't want any trouble especially if the police got involved.

"What's up?" said the boy. "What are you doing out here this time of night? Don't you know that these streets are dangerous?"

"A little guy like you could get hurt messing around these streets at night." said the other boy as he cracked his knuckles.

"Look," said Harry backing away. "I don't want any trouble. So, I'm just going to go on my way…"

He turned away from them, but they surrounded him keeping him from crossing the street.

"What's in the trunk?" asked the second boy.

"What's with the owl?" asked the girl.

"Are you some type of bird watcher?" asked the first boy. "We like birds. We like to kill them."

Harry began to panic, but he pushed the internal magic down inside. He didn't need to get in trouble with the Ministry. He did the first thing that came to his mind. He swung Hedwig's cage around hitting the first boy in his face.

The cage burst opened and Hedwig soared out of the cage and towards the bird and began to peck him in the face. He began to scream in pain.

The girl pulled a knife out of her boot and began to advance on Harry. Harry swung his trunk around hitting the girl in the leg. She fell to the ground and grasped her ankle.

"He broke my ankle." she said threw clenched teeth.

Harry whistled and Hedwig flew to him and landed on his shoulder. He ran from the three troublesome teens dragging his trunk behind him. He heard the boys chasing after him and they could catch him any minute due to the heavy trunk he was dragging.

He looked up and noticed a girl that didn't look much older than him coming out of a donut shop. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans, a red shirt, a red belt, red boots, and her pink hair was in a style that reminded Harry of a rock star.

She pulled a donut out of the bag just as Harry ran over to her. She looked at him.

"Help me." he panted.

She was about to questioned him when the two boys ran up to them. Harry hid behind the girl hoping that she would stick up for him. He didn't even care what happened to him afterwards as long as if he was away from those boys.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Oh," said the first boy. "That's our little brother. We were just bringing him home."

The girl looked to Harry and saw the fear in his eyes. She turned back to the boys. "I don't believe for one second that this boy is your brother." she said. "If he was then why is he afraid of you."

"Because he doesn't want to go home." said the second boy. "Now he's coming with us."

"I think you two should go home before I call the police." she said. "Now get out of here."

The boys gave one last glare at Harry before walking off. The girl smiled at having gotten rid of the boys. She turned to console the boy when she noticed that he had taken several steps away from her. He was ringing his hands and avoiding her eyes.

She looked at the donut in her hand and then at the boy. She walked over and held the donut up to him.

Harry looked up when the girl offered him the donut. He hesitated before taking it and taking a bit. It was a cherry filled donut and was warm.

"Thank you." said Harry when he finished the donut.

"You're welcome." said the girl. "Um, what are you doing out here this time of night? Shouldn't you be at home?"

"I-I don't have a home to go to." muttered Harry. "I've been thrown out of my uncle's house."

"That's horrible." said the girl. "What kind of uncle would throw their twelve-year-old nephew out of the house?"

"Thirteen." corrected Harry. "I just turned thirteen today."

"Well, happy birthday um…."

"Harry." said Harry holding out his hand. "My name is Harry."

"Happy birthday, Harry!" she said shaking his hand. "My name is Nympha--Tonks."

"Nympha Tonks?"

"No. Tonks. Just Tonks."

Harry let go of her hand and picked up the handle of his trunk. "I better get going." said Harry. He began to pull the trunk in the opposite direction the boys had went in.

"Where are you going?" asked Tonks.

"I'm not sure." said Harry turning around. "I really don't have any where to go."

"Why don't we get you something to eat? You look hungry."

"Okay." said Harry slowly.

"How do you feel about Chinese food?"

"Good." said Harry.

He didn't care what he ate. Just as long as got some food in his stomach. Tonks gestured for him to follow her. She led the way to a red car. She opened the trunk and placed Harry's trunk inside. She then went around the car, unlocked the driver door, and climbed inside. Harry went around to the other side of the car and opened the door, which Tonks had unlocked from the inside.

He sat in the seat and put his seatbelt on while Tonks started up the car. She checked her mirrors and readjusted her hair. She took the shift gear out of park and pulled out.

Harry looked around the car and noted that it was crowded with clothes and news papers. He noticed that the pictures on all of the front pages were moving and were from the Daily Prophet.

"You're a witch?" asked Harry.

"Yeah," said Tonks. "Sorry if I didn't tell you right away, but I didn't think you would care."

"Oh," said Harry. "I thought you didn't tell me because you thought I was a Muggle."

"I knew you wasn't a Muggle." said Tonks glancing at Harry before looking back at the road. "Besides your trunk and your owl, I knew that you were Harry Potter. You're famous in the wizarding world."

Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He didn't like being reminded that he was famous for surviving a killing curse from Voldemort when other men and women were killed in an instant.

"Don't worry," said Tonks. "I don't care about you being famous. I want to help you anyway. It's my job as an Auror."

"A what?"

"An Auror." repeated Tonks. "I'm a dark wizard catcher. Kind of like the police. Actually, I'm not an Auror yet. I have to go to Auror school and undergo training at the Ministry."

Harry picked up one of the newspapers and saw a man with matted, long, black hair blinking at him. He had haunting grey eyes that looked as if they were once filled with life.

"Who's this?" he asked.

Tonks glanced at the newspaper and frowned. "Um, that's Sirius Black. He escaped Azkaban a few weeks ago and they haven't found him since."

"Why was he in Azkaban in the first place?"

Tonks didn't answer and focused on the road. She pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant and they got out of the car.

Harry followed her inside of the restaurant where a few people were already eating. Tonks went to stand in line and looked up at the menu that was above and behind the counter.

"What do you want?" she asked Harry.

"I like Orange Chicken and Vegetable Fried Rice." said Harry. "May I get an Egg Roll too?"

"Sure." said Tonks.

"May I help you?" asked the cook.

"Yes." she said. "I'll take two orders of Orange Chicken and Vegetable Fried Rice. I'll also take two Egg Rolls and a side of Sweet and Sour Chicken."

The cook grabbed two Styrofoam trays and began to place the food inside. She then grabbed a carton and loaded it with Sweet and Sour Chicken and wrapped two Egg Rolls in a plastic bag.

She placed the whole order in a large plastic bag and rung up Tonks' order on the cash register.

Tonks paid the lady and took the bag. She led the way to the back of the restaurant where they sat down. Tonks gave Harry his food and he thanked her and began to eat.

Tonks was half way through her meal when she realized that Harry didn't have a place to go. She looked at her watch and saw that it was one o' clock in the morning. The Ministry was closed until the next day.

"I need some fresh air." said Tonks standing up. "I want you to wait in here, okay?" Harry didn't speak, but nodded his head. "I'll be right back, I promise."

Tonks left out of the restaurant and looked through the window and saw Harry was busy reading a fortune from a fortune cookie.

Tonks pulled out her cell phone and dialed a few choice numbers. The call was answered after three rings.

"Hi, Mom." said Tonks. "I'm fine. I was studying with Kingsley. I have a test coming up…Listen, I have this kid I found and he has no place to go. I'm going to bring him home until the Ministry opens tomorrow. Then Wizarding Child Services can deal with him. Is that okay?…Thanks. I'll see you later."

She hung up the phone and headed inside of the restaurant. Harry was sticking the fortune in his pocket when Tonks sat down.

"You wanna come stay with me for a while?" asked Tonks as she picked up her fork.

"Can I?" Harry asked sounding excited.

"Sure. If you want to. My parents said that it was okay."

"I'd be happy to."

After the restaurant, Tonks decided to head home. Harry had fallen asleep in the car and she didn't want to wake him. She couldn't help but notice how cute Harry was when he was asleep. She stopped at a red light and couldn't help but remove a strand of hair out of the boy's eyes.

An half hour later she pulled into the garage of a small house. She knew Harry was too heavy and too old to be carried into the house. She gave Harry a nudge and he slowly opened his eyes.

"Sorry to wake you." said Tonks. "But we're here."

Harry rubbed his eyes and looked out of the window. He saw a small house that was only one floor. There was a small metal gate that surrounded the yard.

Harry and Tonks got out of the car and made their way to the front porch. The porch light came on as Tonks searched her pockets for her key. She finally pulled it out and opened the front door.

The room was dark when Harry entered so he didn't go in far. The light turned on and he could see a large mirror on the wall above one of the couches, there were three in the room along with a table and a computer.

Harry looked down the small hall and saw the kitchen and two doors in opposite directions.

"You can sit down." said Tonks as she closed and locked the door.

Harry sat on the couch while Tonks walked a short distance and knocked on the door on the right side of the small hall. She opened the door and stepped inside.

Harry looked around the house. It was smaller than the Dursleys house, but it was a lot more friendly. He could really imagine living here with Tonks. Harry pulled the fortune he had gotten from the fortune cookie out of his pocket.

_You will find great happiness._

Harry hoped that Tonks was what the fortune meant.

"Harry." came Tonks voice. He looked up and saw Tonks standing their with a older woman that resembled her. "This is my mother Andromeda."

"Hello, Harry." she said kindly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Hello, ma'am." said Harry standing up and walking over to her to shake her hand. "Thank you for welcoming me into your home."

"You're welcome." she said. "You look exhausted. Why don't you get some sleep?"

"Thank you." said Harry taking off his shoes and lying on the couch.

Andromeda smiled at Harry before returning to her room. Tonks went inside of the room on the door on the left. She returned with a light blue blanket, which she draped over Harry.

"Tomorrow we'll go to the Ministry and speak to Wizarding Child Services. They'll know what to do with you."

"Tonks," said Harry turning over on his back and looking up at her. He gripped the front of the cover. "Can you promise me something?"

Tonks sat down on the couch and placed her hands on her lap. "I'll try, but I can't make a promise that I can make a promise."

"Well," began Harry. "Since you're a witch, you'll know all about Hogwarts."

"Sure." said Tonks. "I graduated a few years ago."

"Then you'll know Dumbledore."

"Yes." said Tonks nodding. "He gave me the hook ups at the Ministry. He's the one that introduced me to my friend Kingsley."

"Well, I can't tell you why, but whatever happens to me I don't want to go back to Hogwarts."

"What!?" asked Tonks in surprise. "Why don't you want to go back? I had fun at Hogwarts. There's not a single student that never had fun at Hogwarts."

"I said I can't tell you why, but can you promise me?"

Tonks looked at him with concern. It was obvious that the boy was hiding something and Dumbledore might have something to do with it. Tonks patted his arm and stood up.

"I'll see what I can do." said Tonks. "But there's no guarantee."

She turned off the light and went into the her bedroom closing the door behind her. Harry laid there staring up at the ceiling thinking that it was only hours ago that he ran away from the Dursleys, or rather them kicking him out.

Feeling safe, Harry closed his eyes and welcomed sleep.

Author's Note:

This is the first chapter. I hope you like it. Reviews are appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry was fast asleep on the couch when a big bellied man entered the front door. It was six o' clock in the morning and Ted Tonks had just gotten off work. He was exhausted after putting three teenagers in jail. He had found them not far from Privet Drive playing dice. One of them had a broken ankle, the second had a broken nose, and the third looked as if he were attacked by a bird.

Ted hung his jacket on the coat rack behind the door. He gave the couch a glance and saw a teenaged boy lying on it fast asleep. He continued on into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. He saw the left over pot of spaghetti and pulled it from the fridge. He sat the pot on the table and opened one of the cabinets and retrieved a bowl.

He loaded his bowl with spaghetti and placed it in the microwave. He placed the pot back in the fridge and grabbed a fork from one of the drawers. The microwave went off and he pulled the bowl from it and started eating.

He went over to the fridge and opened it to get a cold beer. He then kicked the fridge door close and made his way to the living room. He put the beer on the table and sat down on the blue covers.

Harry felt something heavy on his chest and he found it hard to breath. He opened his eyes and saw the back of a police uniform. His eyes roamed upward and he could see the back of a man's head. A man was sitting on him!

Harry screamed. The man bolted up and turned around. When he saw Harry he gave a loud scream.

The screams vibrated around the house and both doors on either side of the hall opened. Andromeda and Tonks appeared. Tonks was wearing white lingerie and white slippers. She was clutching a brown teddy bear and her hair was a mess.

"What's wrong?" asked Andromeda. "Ted, did you just sit on that poor boy?"

"I didn't know he was here." said Ted. "What's he doing here? Are we kidnapping random people again?"

Tonks walked around her father to get to Harry, who was shaking from the whole event. She put her arm around him trying to calm him.

"It's okay, Harry." said Tonks. "This is my father Ted Tonks. He didn't mean any harm." She looked up at her father. "Dad, this is Harry Potter. We've told you about Harry Potter."

"Oh." said Ted. "So you're the famous Harry Potter." He walked over to Harry and peered down at him. "You don't look like a super hero."

Tonks sighed impatiently. "Harry's not a super hero." she said. "He's an ordinary teenager. He was kicked out of his uncle's house so I'm going to take him to the Ministry of Magic."

"Okay." said Ted. "I just wish people would give me a call before I come home to warn me about guest."

"Yes, dear." said Andromeda. "We don't want you sitting on anymore of our guest."

"Now that we're all acquainted," said Tonks as she made her way to her room. "Can we all go back to sleep?"

It felt like a few minutes later when Tonks came to wake Harry up. He opened his eyes and saw that she was already dressed. She was wearing black jeans, a pink shirt, pink boots, and had her hair in that rock star style.

"Come on, Harry." she said shaking him. "It's time to get dressed. I've got some clothes for you."

Harry sat up and scratched his head. He looked around at a clock on the wall and saw that it was eight o' clock. He looked at the table and saw that there was a wash cloth, a dry towel, a tooth brush, a bar of soap, tooth paste, under garments, and a soft bathrobe.

Harry picked up the items and made his way to the bathroom for a long shower. He climbed out of the shower and put on his under garments. He pulled on the bathrobe and tied it.

He walked over to the mirror, wiped the steam off, and peered at his reflection. Everything looked in order except his messy, black hair was wet. He toweled his head dry and grabbed his tooth brush.

He had just finished rinsing his mouth when someone knocked on the door.

"Harry?" came Tonks voice. "I have some clothes for you."

Harry opened the door and Tonks passed him a pair of jeans, a white t shirt, and a red hoody. He took the clothes, closed the door, and began to dress. He stepped out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where Andromeda was preparing breakfast.

"Good morning, Harry." she said kindly as she sat down a plate of waffles. "Would you like some breakfast."

"Yes, please." said Harry sitting down at the table.

"You like waffles, right?" asked Andromeda as she set down a stack in front of Harry.

"Yes." said Harry as he picked up the fork. He cut the stack with his fork and placed several pieces of waffle in his mouth. The flavor made his mouth water. "These are the best waffles I've ever tasted."

"Thank you, Harry." said Andromeda putting more batter into the waffle iron.

Tonks walked into the kitchen talking on her cell phone. "Ew." she said. "I don't like Bob Cassidy. Number one, he's a dork, number two he's a dork, and number three he's a dork. Besides, you know I'm waiting on the perfect one." she said sitting down at the table. Andromeda put a stack of waffles in front of her. "The perfect guy has good manners, very passionate, strong, and of course, very sexy."

"Tonks," said Andromeda folding her arms and frowning her disapproval. "I don't think this is a conversation for a thirteen-year-old boy to hear."

Tonks wasn't listening. Her attention was still on the person on the other line. "Well, it'll be easy for me to get married. I'm still a vir-"

"Tonks!"

Tonks looked up at her mother and saw that she was angry. "Oh," she said understanding her mom's expression. "I have to go. It's breakfast time and there's a load of waffles on my plate. I'll see you later." She hung up the phone and started on her breakfast.

Andromeda placed several more waffles on Harry's plate. She kind of reminded him of Molly Weasley, his best friend's mother.

"Tonks," she said pouring syrup on Harry's waffles. "You have to remember that you're in the presence of a child. You have to watch what you say."

"I know how to watch a child." said Tonks taking a sip of orange juice. "I did have a baby sitting business two years ago."

"True." said Andromeda sitting down to eat her own breakfast. "But the kids you were watching were eight and under. You've never watched a teenager." She looked at Harry's plate and saw that it was empty. "Do you want some more waffles, dear?" she asked him.

"No, thank you." said Harry. "I'm full." He turned to Tonks. "May I go outside for some fresh air?" he asked her.

"Of course." said Tonks. "But don't go too far. We'll be leaving in a few minutes."

Harry got up from the table and went to the living room. He went out of the front door and into the morning sunshine.

He looked around the street at his neighbors' houses. Some people were leaving for work or running errands. Some people were outside mowing their lawns, getting their newspapers, and taking out their garbage.

This reminded him of Privet Drive except the neighbors looked friendly and he was allowed to talk to them.

"Mom," came a voice. "I'm taking out the garbage."

Harry walked over to the fence and looked across his neighbor's yard. A teenaged girl with long black hair walked out of the house. She was wearing a pair of blue jean shorts, a white t shirt, and a pair of white flip flops. She was slender, but had curves. Something Harry had never paid attention to before.

He watched as the girl dragged a garbage bag across the lawn. It looked like she was having a hard time with it. Harry climbed over the small fence and walked towards the girl.

"Here," he said as he took the bag out of her hands. "Let me help you."

He carried the bag the rest of the way toward the garbage. He placed it in the can and dusted his hands off.

"Thank you." said the girl walking over. "I always have trouble with Monday's garbage. My name's Tiffany." she said holding out her hand.

"I'm Harry." said Harry shaking her hand. She had soft skin.

They let go of each other's hands, but continued to stare into each others eyes. Her eyes were a baby blue color and he was getting hypnotized by them.

Suddenly there was a loud crash as the garbage can fell over. Garbage spilled all over the lawn. Harry and Tiffany turned and saw a black dog sniffing inside the can.

"Bad dog." said Tiffany.

The black dog backed out of the garbage can and turned to look at the humans. He spotted Harry and started to wag its tail excitedly. It stopped when he realized a can of baked beans were stuck on his nose. It began to whine as it tried to rid itself of the can.

Harry knelt down and pet the dog on its head.

"Calm down." said Harry calming the dog.

The dog remained still as Harry pulled the can from its nose. The dog was grateful. So grateful that it licked Harry on the cheek. Harry laughed.

Tiffany knelt down besides Harry and petted the black dog. "You seem like a good dog now." She looked at the dogs neck. "No collar. That means it doesn't have a owner. All the dogs around here have collars. It's a neighborhood rule."

"Maybe we should call the pound." said Harry.

The dog whined and then gave Harry a lick.

"I think it likes you." said Tiffany. She looked at the dog again. "It looks like a boy to me. Are you a boy?" she asked it.

The dog bark to answer the question.

"I bet its hungry." said Harry. "I'm going to bring it into the house and feed it." Then he remembered that he didn't live with Tonks. He was only staying with her until they left for the Ministry.

"What's wrong, Harry?" asked Tiffany.

"Um…" said Harry. He didn't want to tell Tiffany that he was homeless. "Everyone's about to leave the house. How about we take him to your house."

"Good idea." said Tiffany.

Tiffany led the way into her house with Harry and the dog behind them.

Tiffany's house was similar to Tonks' except that it was decorated completely different. Tonks' house was a messy neat, while Tiffany's house was just neat. They walked into the small kitchen where a woman that resembled Tiffany was washing dishes.

"I'm back, Mom." said Tiffany. "I brought a friend."

The woman turned around. "Hello." she said when she spotted Harry.

"Hi." said Harry. "I'm Harry."

"Nice to meet you." said Tiffany's mother. "I'm Tanisha."

"We're just going to feed this dog." said Tiffany. "He looks hungry."

"Okay, dear." said Tanisha. "I think there's some leftover ham in the fridge."

Tiffany pulled a bowl from the shelf and placed it on the table. She then went over to the fridge and pulled out the ham. She placed it on the table next to the bowl and tore off a piece. She placed the meat in the bowl and sat it on the floor.

The black dog walked over, wagged his tail, and barked happily. He began to eat the ham, grateful for having something to eat.

"He likes it." said Harry.

"Too bad we can't keep him." said Tiffany. "We already have a pet cat." She took the ham back to the fridge and placed it inside. She closed the door. "We might have to take it to the pound."

The dog finished eating. He looked up at Harry and gave a whine. From that, Harry knew the dog wouldn't want to go to the pound.

"I guess I'll take him." said Harry staring at the dog.

"You sure your folks won't mind?"

"Positive." said Harry.

Harry knew that if he didn't get a family he would be in an orphanage and he didn't want to go alone.

Harry could hear Tonks calling for him outside so he said good bye to Tiffany and Tanisha and returned outside. The dog followed him.

Harry found Tonks standing by the car. She was looking in her purse for her car keys. She found them and looked up to see Harry standing there with a large, black dog next to him.

She screamed and climbed on top of her car.

"Run, Harry!" said Tonks. "There's a giant monster right next to you!"

Harry laughed and Tonks gave a puzzled look.

"This isn't a monster." said Harry kneeling down and rubbing the dog on top of the head with one hand and rubbing the dog's neck with the other. "This is a dog I found. Can I keep him?" he asked. "Please?"

Tonks slowly climbed off of the car and peered down at the dog. He wagged his tail happily and barked playfully.

"Hmm." said Tonks thoughtfully. "I bet with a lot of training he could make a great Auror dog." she said kneeling down and petting the mutt. "Of course you can keep him."

"Thanks." said Harry. "I've always wanted a dog."

"We can bring him to the Ministry with us."

"Tonks." called Andromeda from the front window. "Can you come here for a minute?"

Tonks stood up and headed back towards the house. Just then Hedwig fluttered down on Harry's shoulder.

"Hey, Hedwig." said Harry. "I want you to meet my new pet. What should I call him."

The dog bark at the snowy owl as of means of trying to communicate with it.

"He says his name is Padfoot." said Hedwig.

"Okay." said Harry. "Padfoot it--wait." he looked at Hedwig who was still sitting on his shoulder. She was cleaning her feathers. "Did you just talk?"

Hedwig stopped cleaning her feathers long enough to look at him. She then continued as if he didn't interrupt her.

Harry was positive he heard his owl talking. He wondered why she wouldn't say anything else. Harry looked up just in time to see Tonks return.

"Mom wants me to stop at the store on my way home." she told him as she got in the car.

Harry heard the doors unlock so he opened the door to the backseat and allowed Padfoot and Hedwig to go inside. Once they were settled in the backseat, Harry got into the front of the car and put on his seatbelt.

Tonks had already adjusted everything so she was ready to pull out. She pulled out and headed down the street towards major traffic.

"Can I ask you a question, Harry?" asked Tonks.

"Sure." said Harry. He was hoping that she wasn't going to ask him what he had been doing while he was outside. That's something the Dursleys had always asked him. They wanted to make sure that he hadn't talked to the neighbors. Not that the neighbors wanted to talk to him anyway.

"I know you told me you couldn't tell me, but…why don't you want to go back to Hogwarts?"

Harry knew if she was going to try to keep him away from Hogwarts he would have to have a good reason.

"Alright." said Harry. "But if anyone asks you can't tell them. I don't want to go back to Hogwarts because every year I get into some type of danger. In my first year I had to protect the Sorcerer's Stone. In my second year I had to kill a basilisk. Both times I was in danger and Dumbledore did nothing to help me. I just want to be left alone in peace."

Tonks chanced a glance at Harry before she responded. She saw that the teen looked stressed out and needed a break from the magical world. She could do that. All she had to do was pull some strings with the Minister. Kingsley could help her with that.

"Okay, Harry." said Tonks. "You won't have to go to Hogwarts. But I'm worried about your magical education. How would you learn to defend yourself with magic?"

"I got it all planned out." said Harry. "I have friends at Hogwarts that I can correspond with. They could tell me what I should be learning and I could hire a tutor to help me in my education."

"It's a start." said Tonks. "If they find guardians for you, I'll tell them that you don't want to go to Hogwarts."

It only took them forty-five minutes to get to the Ministry. Tonks parked in the Trainee Parking Lot and got out of the car. Harry got out of the car as well and opened the back door to let Hedwig and Padfoot out.

Hedwig soared into the air before landing on Padfoot's back.

Tonks led the way over to a telephone booth. They all crammed themselves inside and Harry shut the door behind them. Tonks picked up the receiver and dialed the numbers six, two, four, four, and two.

"Welcome, visitor, to the Ministry of Magic." said a feminine voice. "Please state your name and the purpose of your visit."

"Nymphadora Tonks, a Auror Trainee, escorting Harry Potter to the Department of Wizarding Child Services."

"Thank you." said the voice. A rectangular piece of paper came out of the coin returned slot. "Visitor, please where the pass doing your visit. Have a nice day."

Tonks hung up the receiver and passed Harry the visitor's pass. Harry looked at it and saw that his name was written in large bold letters. He peeled the pass off the paper and stuck the pass to his chest.

The floor of the phone booth started to descend as if they were on the elevator.

Harry had heard of the Ministry of Magic, but he had never been to, or even inside the building.

The booth came to a stop and they left out of it. They went a few steps forward and Harry turned around to see the telephone booth ascending.

They continued walking until they came upon a security desk. The security guard was fast asleep with his feet on top of the desk, so Tonks had to give his foot a shake. He startled awake.

"Huh?" he said looking around sleepily. "Oh." he said sitting up. "Welcome to the Minister of Magic." he said in a bored voice. "I need to see your trainee I.D. and the guest's wand."

"I've been using this entrance for a year now." said Tonks going in her purse. "You should know me by now."

"I'm just doing my job."

Tonks pulled out a green I.D. He could see her picture on it along with a description of her. On top of the I.D. were the words 'Auror Trainee'. She passed the I.D. over and the Security Guard checked it.

He then gave Tonks her I.D. back and took Harry's wand. He placed it in a machine and on a monitor appeared a picture of Harry. He could see a description of himself as well as his wand.

He nodded and returned the wand to Harry. Tonks led Harry through a double door and Padfoot and Hedwig followed. The security guard didn't even question the two animals.

Tonks looked at her watch as she moved through the Ministry. It was ten o' clock. She led the way to the elevators. They got on with about five other people so they were once again crammed.

"Where is the Department of Wizarding Child Services?" Harry asked as he tried to get remove the woman in front of him long braid out of his eye.

"It's on the same floor as the Auror's office." answered Tonks. "I have a test today so well be here for a few good hours. You can play with your dog and owl until then."

They got off the elevator and Tonks headed in a direction that marked 'Wizarding Child Services'. They entered a door and saw many witches and wizards working with computers. Some were already talking to families with pleased expressions on their faces, but some was angry over how a child was treated.

"Let's see." said Tonks. "You're last name is Potter so your Social Worker name is Jay Camelton."

They walked over to a young woman who was sitting at a desk. She was tall with long blonde hair. She was a few years older than Tonks and was wearing orange robes. Tonks and Harry sat down in front of her desk. They waited for her to get through with her typing. When she was finished she looked up.

"Name." she said simply.

"Harry Potter." said Tonks. "He used to live at Number Four Privet Drive until his uncle kicked him out of the house."

"Harry Potter?" asked Jay in amazement. "THE Harry Potter."

"Um…yes." answered Harry.

Jay began to type information on the computer. "Let's see." she said reading the monitor. "Harry James Potter. It you're thirteen years old and in you're third year at Hogwarts. You've been living with the Dursleys for twelve years?"

"Yes." answered Harry.

Jay began to search for some parchment. Tonks looked at her watch and saw that she was about to be late for her test.

"I have to go take a test." said Tonks standing up. "Can you show him to the Ministry's daycare."

Harry groaned. "Tonks, I don't need a daycare. I'm thirteen-years-old."

"That maybe so, but I can't have you wandering around the Ministry. I'll pick you up when my test is over."

"Alright." said Harry. "Do you have any gum?"

Tonks went into her purse and gave Harry a stick of gum. Then she left the room. Harry placed the gum in his mouth and turned his attention to Jay, who finally located her parchment.

"Okay, Harry," she said as she wrote on the parchment. "Tell me about your life with the Dursleys starting with the earliest you can remember."

"Well," said Harry thinking back as far as he could. "I remember when I was three Dudley pushed me down the stairs and I got in trouble for bleeding on the floor."

"Yes." said Jay. "I have the hospital records explaining that incident. All though it says your Uncle Vernon said that you fell down the stairs."

Harry went on telling Jay about all the abuse he suffered by the Dursleys. The physical abuse, the mental abuse, and the emotional abuse. Jay had all of his hospital records to confirm that the abuse really did happen. It didn't take long before she placed a restraining order on the Dursleys.

"Okay." she said. "Now I have to place you in a orphanage until I find you a family."

"What?" said Harry in horror. "I don't want to go to an orphanage. Can't you just find me a temporary family."

"Sorry." said Jay. "I can't just give you to anyone unless they were close friends or family. You could go to the Weasleys if they take--"

"No!" said Harry quickly. He knew that if he went to the Weasleys they would make him go to Hogwarts.

"Then you'll have to go to an orphanage."

"Can…can you give me a minute to think about it?"

"Sure." said Jay. "I'll take you to the daycare."

Harry stood up and followed Jay out of the room. He didn't want to go to an orphanage. Why couldn't he just stay with Tonks?

Tonks…

Harry had an idea on how to stop himself from going to an orphanage that didn't involve running away.

He had something to discuss with Tonks when her test is over.


End file.
